1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to handcuffs or similar-type restraints, and more specifically to an apparatus that enables an arresting officer to separately apply each restraint to each wrist of a resisting arrestee, regardless of the position or location of each wrist, and further allows the arresting officer to bring each restraint together, thereby joining the arrestee's wrists effectively to each other at the same time.
2. Preliminary Discussion
It is often the case that a criminal "takedown", or physical overpowering of a resisting miscreant pursuant to an arrest, will require three, four and sometimes five police officers to effect the application of a set of handcuffs to a single arrestee. Since conventional handcuff bracelets are connected by approximately one inch of chain, arresting officers must effectively join, or bring together, the suspect's arms in order to secure both wrists together prior to the application of such handcuffs.
A resisting arrestee, who is young and strong, can make it virtually impossible for just two officers to properly apply a pair of conventional handcuffs, especially if the officers are not as powerful as the resisting arrestee or just out of shape. As a result, one or more of the arresting officers would have to step up to a higher level of force, i.e. pepper spray or baton, and with every increase in force, there exists the increased potential for injury or liability of the officers and/or injury, and sometimes further liability, of the arrestee.
Even with additional "backup," it seldom, if ever, provides a favorable impression, or "looks good" to see three or more officers on top of a single unarmed arrestee, especially since the nature of the takedown is often hidden from view by the bodies of the arresting officers. Such a scene has often incited uninvolved observers to become sympathetic to the arrestee and even to interfere with the arrest. Of course, the most popular bystander response in today's age of cop shows and helicopter reporting is to try and capture the incident on film, which can make a bad situation look even more incriminating, especially if the officer's application of force is perceived as unjustified in the public eye.
The problem of restraining a resisting arrestee, or restrainee, is especially dangerous in a prison setting, where corrections officers are usually in the minority and must be self-sufficient in a world of aggressively dangerous individuals, many or most of whom have complete contempt for law and authority in general. For example, in a prison setting, corrections officers often experience wild, unanticipated bursts of energy from a restrainee after the application of a single cuff to only one of the restrainee's wrists. This creates an immediate and dangerous situation for the restraining officer, because at this point the handcuffs now become a weapon for the prisoner. It is often the case that as the stimulated prisoner swings with arms flailing wildly at the restraining officers, the unattached restraint, or "bracelets," strikes and splits open noses, cheeks and eyes, resulting in a serious injury or even a potentially fatal situation in the absence of appropriate backup.
It takes an enormous amount of upper body strength to apply standard or conventional handcuffs, especially since the arresting officers must accomplish two difficult feats at once. First, the officer must restrain and immobilize the arrestee. Second, the officer must force the arrestee's arms close enough together so that both wrists can be handcuffed at the same time. Not only do these two actions work against each other, but an arrestee can often use the officer's own strength and force against him. For example, as the officer is forcefully manipulating the arm or arms of an arrestee, it is often the case that an arrestee will suddenly relinquish all resistance and pull away in the same direction that the officer is pushing, thereby allowing the arrestee to break loose from restrainers.
It is no wonder that arresting officers are often winded and justifiably disturbed after such an encounter. In fact, the constant scuffles and dangerous encounters create a highly precarious and unstable environment for arresting officers, and deficiencies in conventional restraining devices tend to make bad situations even worse.
The present inventor, after considerable on-the-job experience with deficient and ineffective restraining devices, has devised an apparatus that overcomes many, if not all, of the deficiencies of conventional handcuffs by enabling an arresting officer to apply a pair of handcuffs in an efficient manner without first expending a great deal of energy in bringing the arrestee's arms together. The apparatus of the present invention streamlines the conventional handcuffing process by allowing an officer to apply each handcuff separately without first having to join the arrestee's arms. Once each handcuff is attached, the apparatus of the present invention enables the arresting officer to forcefully join the arrestee's arms together to assume the conventional handcuffed stance or position. The joinder of the wrist restraints is preferably accomplished through the use of a ratcheting mechanism, similar in design to a fishing reel, to which each restraint is integrally connected. Such mechanism allows the arresting officer to, in effect, "reel in" each restraint until such restraints are brought together in a close relationship. The apparatus of the present invention, therefore, provides a much more effective solution to the problems plaguing conventional handcuff-type devices and creates a safer environment for both the arresting officer and the resisting detainee.